KBS $ Taper vs KBS Tour according to Titleist

[speeder757]

Hi all,

I was looking at the Titleist Custom Book and according to them the OG KBS Tour Spins less than the $-Taper with similar launch. Titleist is usually pretty extensive in their testing. Has anyone recently tested these against each other? Adam Scott is making me want to give some KBS shafts a go in an old set of 680's I have laying around. If the regular Tour is indeed spinning less I will just go with those. Thanks

[getitdaily]

$taper definitely spins less. They launch about the same, maybe $taper a little lower. They feel very similar, tour just a touch looser/softer feel.

[counselor79]

Couldn’t agree more, this is one Titleist has wrong. The $taper is just slightly tighter feeling with more control and definitely has lower spin but not by a huge margin.

[Fraserdave45]

I 100% agree with both of these comments. I have played both of them extensively in stiff flex, and I get slightly lower spin numbers from my $ Tapers. The feeling I get is that they are , as previously stated, just a little "tighter".

[BostonWRX]

Like everyone said above. $ taper slightly tighter feeling and a little less spin. I just put them in my wedges over KBS tours and I am seeing exactly that

[groach]

The $ taper is specifically made by KBS to be a middle point between the Tour and C-Taper.

I just moved from the Mizuno MP 18SC with C-Taper 130x to the MP 20 MMC with $ Taper 130x. The $ taper is much softer and doesn't feel nearly as stout as the c-taper. When I hit the tour, it felt too whippy for me.

[crapula]

I get less spin and lower launch with KBS Tour compared to Ctaper and $taper.

[41NAS]

How would C-Taper Lite compare to the the $-Taper from a spin perspective?

[getitdaily]

That's because the tour isn't a good match for you and you're not efficient with your strike...

[speeder757]

Weird.... If you to Titleist shaft fit section it also states the Tour has a stiffer butt and tip section than the $-Taper

[crapula]

Huh? How is it not a good match for me?

[getitdaily]

The tour shaft is designed to be higher spin and higher launch than both ctaper and $taper. If you're launching and spinning it lower than those two then that shaft with your swing is causing g you to deliver the club in a way that reduces launch and spin. Maybe you like the results...if so, great. Maybe you've learned to play the shafts with that delivery...again, great.

But your results don't match the design of the 3 shafts.

Ctaper lite is higher launch and spin than ctaper and I couldn't hit it worth anything...everything was low launch and low spin with it where ctaper was perfect.

[crapula]

I was fit into the KBS Tour. Sometimes the design of the shaft doesn't matter.

[getitdaily]

True. And the opposite of what I said could be true too...perhaps the $taper and ctaper are just a terrible shaft for you and you're launching and spinning them high. I moved away from the ctaper because the feel was causing me to pull hard on the handle at the top. I do the same thing with X flex driver shafts that are the right profile for me. I have two 125msi rogues. An S and an X. I launch the x higher than the S..because the S transitions well and allows me to maintain lag. I pull harder with the x and release a touch early.

[naws-golfer]

I’m in a similar spot, just fitted into the $. Taper. I have a fairly gentle transition but have never been a fan of the kbs tour, even though every thing points to that being a better option.

the s taper is firmer in the handle I believe which is why it might feel more active in the mid and tip. The kbs tour felt pretty inactive throughout.

different shafts work differently for everyone. Play what feels good. I have been fit into x stiff drivers and light weight irons.

[tercoidegw]

On 2/13/2020 at 4:05 PM, getitdaily said:

True. And the opposite of what I said could be true too...perhaps the $taper and ctaper are just a terrible shaft for you and you're launching and spinning them high. I moved away from the ctaper because the feel was causing me to pull hard on the handle at the top. I do the same thing with X flex driver shafts that are the right profile for me. I have two 125msi rogues. An S and an X. I launch the x higher than the S..because the S transitions well and allows me to maintain lag. I pull harder with the x and release a touch early.

+1 million on swing problem withs wrong flex shafts

 

I had the CT 120S (some slices) and the Tour 120S (some hooks), maybe the $T is the perfect one!

[Evolved]

The chart has Nippon shafts listed incorrectly as well. The 130 is definitely not a low launch shaft and certainly isn't lower than the 120.

[Howie]

Dredging this one back up as I was researching iron shafts and found the Titleist information as noted above contrary to common belief. However, the data found here seems to suggest the same concerning the Nippon 120 vs. 130 and $-Taper vs. C-Taper?: https://us.exactgolf.com/pages/iron-shaft-comparison/

[tmz016]

30 minutes ago, Howie said:

Dredging this one back up as I was researching iron shafts and found the Titleist information as noted above contrary to common belief. However, the data found here seems to suggest the same concerning the Nippon 120 vs. 130 and $-Taper vs. C-Taper?: https://us.exactgolf.com/pages/iron-shaft-comparison/

 

Uhm....

[ScottHutch2]

How do the balance points on the Tour and $-taper compare? Does the $-taper have a similarly high balance point? 

Edited February 17, 2022 by ScottHutch2

[nicky_01]

On 2/16/2022 at 4:37 PM, ScottHutch2 said:

How do the balance points on the Tour and $-taper compare? Does the $-taper have a similarly high balance point? 

yes they have the same balance point 

[steventoo]

For what it's worth, I am with Titleist on this. I launch and spin lower with Tour versus $ Taper. It's only slight, but it's been consistent over the years...

[Hoyoymac]

I’ve played the KBS Tour, The Tour V, $-Taper and C-Taper and a number of other KBS shafts.

 

The original Tour was definitely the highest trajectory and spin shaft for me with the shaft feeling light and the C-Taper the stoutest and lowest trajectory with the stiffest feel.

 

I really like the Tour V for my wedges and I currently play the $-Taper 120g Stiff in my irons.

 

 

[ShawLF]

I've come across this thread a few times. My personal experience is that $-Taper has a tighter feel, lower spin and launch (especially into the wind) than the Tour.

 

However, I talked with a guy at KBS fitting experience today and he said $-Taper spins more than Tour. I pointed out that KBS marketing has positioned $-Taper as the lower spinning shaft, and he said he didn't know why that was.

 

In this video at 9:40 Kim Braly States "the S taper is a mid launch very low spin shaft": 

 

 

The graphic behind them on the TV at that point is this one:

 

However, in Russ' written review (behind a pay wall) the $-Taper spun ~200 RPM higher than the Tour. This was with him swinging the 110g R version. So I guess it is possible for some people to have a different experience from how Kim envisioned this shaft to perform.

[byoshio82]

For me the $-tapers spin way less and have a flatter trajectory. To me as a $-taper player they are more stable. Between the Tour and C-Taper is the perfect way to describe them which is how I think they intended them to be.